Lost And Found
by littlebutterflyever9
Summary: Set one year after FFXIII-2, Hope has become a young man of 25, who busies himself with searching for his friends. Though finding most of them, a certain friend had been surprisingly difficult to find, and when found, had to fight their way back to the others. Serah is not crystallised in this fanfic. Using flashbacks to evolve the backstory, find out more in this thrilling fanfic!
1. When There's A Will, There's A Way

**Chapter 1**

" _Leave … me …"_

Her voice was soft, but hoarse. Her breath hitched each time she inhaled. She winced noticeably. Her rose-coloured hair stuck to her forehead, perspiration and rain drops layering her forehead. In contrast to the cool weather, she was feeling warm. _Way_ too warm. Her weapon lay next to her, bloody and wet from the pouring rain. Her partner had caught her the moment she had started to stagger because of the life-threatening injury, laying her down on the wet grassy plains. Her partner had then played dead, desperate for the beast to take to its heels. On seeing that its enemies had been fallen, the beast escaped into the thick forest around them, leaving them momentarily safe yet open to danger.

To the young woman's inward embarrassment, for lack of concentration and overconfidence, and despite her partner's strained efforts to defend her, she had gotten herself wounded.

The word "wounded" itself was, to her, not in her dictionary. But she had to accept it—the attack could not have been parried either way.

The gaping wound made things very, _very_ complicated. Blood— _her_ blood—was gushing out and there was little time. She struggled to keep her eyes open on her partner's for as long as she could; cobalt blue on emerald green. It was the only thing keeping her from succumbing to her injuries.

The young man was up from the ground, kneeling next to her, a strong arm protectively hovering over her torn stomach, his hand palming the other side of the floor next to her. He gritted his teeth, jaw set in determination and frustration. Her stubbornness was testing his patience limit—not that the limit hadn't been broken already. It had been the fourth time she had whispered those two unexpectedly increasingly annoying words to him. If she hadn't been injured, he would have shook her shoulders until his arms (and heart) couldn't take it anymore. He forced himself not to look at the injury, his free hand silently casting _Curaga._ The blood flowed to a stop, but the damage had already been done. She would not be able to walk. And she definitely needed rest.

" _Not on your life!_ " he growled, green irises flashing, the scariest look she had ever seen being carved upon his delicate and handsome features. She, for once, felt surprised. "I'm not leaving you. Not then, not now, and not _ever._ You will have absolutely no say in this! I'm your partner, your friend and your ally, and I am not leaving you out here, tired and helpless. I've been searching for you for _ages_ during the timeline; I'm not gonna give up now, especially since I've found you! And you had better save your breath." His face then softened, reaching up to gently brush soggy bangs out of her eyes. She closed her eyes momentarily to focus on the touch, relaxing slightly, but wincing as the movement caused a slight ripple of pain above her waist.

 _He really has grown._

She slowly reopened her eyes when his hand stopped moving; he had rested his hand on her burning forehead. "You're having a fever," he muttered. "Great. What else is able to go wrong today?"

The man had light scratches, cuts and bruises, and had hurt his left shoulder, but he was still able to fight decently. And he absolutely wasn't going to give up now.

A low snarl infiltrated the pair's ears.

Hope Estheim cursed under his breath. "That stupid behemoth is _back?_ If I had been a fiery volcano during battle before, I'm now living _hell_ itself! And if those monsters I've killed before had gone to their mental "hospital" before dying a while later, this one is seriously going to the morgue _immediately._ "

Lightning Farron couldn't help but allow her lips to turn up slightly. After knowing him for quite some time, she was convinced that she could officially announce that the man in front of her was definitely 25 year-old Hope Estheim.

Her vision was becoming dark around the edges. She tried not to panic as she focused her slightly blurry vision on Hope.

The snarl was growing louder. Hope frowned, trying to tear his gaze away from Light to detect the behemoth's exact location.

The sound halted.

On that, Hope had managed to fully tear his gaze away from Light's face and looked around, brow furrowing, hand gripping his faithful boomerang. His newly-acquired, sleek silver with gold-coloured outlines, gunblade rested on the side on his right thigh. His mind had been made up. He stood up to his full height and made sure Light was still in his line of vision.

 _He was going to fight._

A movement made him snap back to focus. The beastly creature had abruptly jumped out in front of him from behind the thicket of trees, growling menancingly. Its fangs dripped with venom, red eyes bloodshot.

 _It had been watching them._

Hope stationed himself in front of Light as the creature circled. Hope followed, positioned to defend. Her mind wandered as her consciousness faded in and out.

 _Why are you doing this ...?_

"I promised you, remember?" Hope said quietly, and even though she couldn't see it, she could picture the sad smile on his face. Her eyes involuntarily widened. _How did he know ...?_

"I promised that I would protect you," he continued. "Don't think I'm backing out of that agreement now!" Just as he finished, the behemoth charged.

And Hope met the attack with full determination and adrenaline.

 **Hi! I'm onto a new fanfiction. Just had a crazy idea for FF13 and couldn't wait to try it out. Will update both fanfics regularly. Don't forget to R & R this first chapter, and let me know (PM) if you have any ideas for improvement. See ya!  
**

 **Littlebutterflyever9**


	2. Instant Flashback: Sazh And Dajh

**Chapter 2**

 **Flashback**

 _"A ... carnival?"_

 _Hope shot a confused glance at his secretary as he fingered the leaflet. The usual morning zephyr that had entered his office via the open window ruffled his platinum blond hair ever so slightly. "Alyssa, why do you want us to go to a_ carnival _on the outskirts of New Bodhum? Surely you realise these things are for little kids?"_

 _Alyssa Zaidelle laughed. "Why, Director, they say going to funfairs or circuses make you feel young! You don't feel young anymore?"_

 _Hope sighed, not bothering to question who "they" was directed to. "It's on a Saturday ... afternoon. I'm usually bus—"_

 _"Director, why won't you just take a break?" Alyssa said, exasperated. "You've been working non-stop for three weeks and you're passing up a trip to New Bodhum? You haven't gone there once! Ask the Manager for a week's vacation. I'll help you!"_

 _Hope eyed his assistant suspiciously for a minute more. "Why—wait, are you coming?" The thought had suddenly entered his mind._

 _"If you don't want me to, I'm fine, the carnival's staying for a week," Alyssa replied, although her mood had dampened._

 _Hope looked at the leaflet again. "Fine," he grumbled. "I'll go. Sorry, Alyssa, maybe I'll go with you another day. I have something important to do there that I have just thought of ..."_

 _Alyssa shrugged, though she sounded defeated when she replied, "No problem."_ Sheesh ... missed chance! _she thought as she walked straight out the door, closing it behind her with a slight slam._

 _Hope fingered his chin as he stared at the paper. "I've been doing a lot of research as to Sazh and Dajh's location. My results are that they've moved into a hotel near New Bodhum a few months ago. I remember I found something on the internet about someone interviewing them about why they never got a permanent house, and Sazh replied that he was searching for his family. I know his wife is ..." he faltered, then continued quietly to himself, "Anyway, we're the only other family he's ever known. Also, Dajh would never miss a carnival. I should probably go. Maybe I'll find them there!"_

 _Had he been told about this decision of his five months before, he would have laughed until his sides had split and denied it. But now that he knew his choice, he definitely was_ not _laughing._

 _And so Hope Estheim, aged 25, prepared to travel from Palumpolum to a_ kids _' carnival that was going to be held on the outskirts of New Bodhum._

 _Oh_ Etro...

* * *

 _"Way too boisterous for me," Hope mumbled._

 _Everywhere around him, parents walked alongside their children. The youngsters were laughing and shrieking, running around with energy that made_ _Hope feel dizzy. Colourful lights were flashing, accompanied with merry songs and cheerful exclamations. As Hope had had a long day at work, his eyes couldn't help but droop slightly, and his posture sank a little._ Good thing I didn't let Alyssa come along, _he thought, relieved. He was sure that Alyssa would have dragged him to almost all the rides._

 _He walked around for a while, searching continuously for a young boy with an afro hairstyle and dark skin, or a man with the same features. "Okay, all you have to do is just try to find Dajh running around with his chocobo chick, and then—"_

 _"Daddy!_ Daddy _! Look Daddy, it's Hope!" A chirp of delight followed the exclamation._

 _Hope swirled around, and when his eyes locked onto the little boy that had shouted his name, his eyes lit up instantly, his back straightening up._

 _"Or more like_ you, _found_ me. _Under ten minutes ... I'm impressed."_

 **Flashback End**

"And that's how I found Sazh and Dajh," Hope said proudly.

Lightning snickered lightly, raising a brow. "You know, it wasn't you who found them. It was _Dajh_ who found _you._ Said so yourself, didn't you?"

Despite his minor injuries, Hope _had_ , in fact, carried Lightning bridal-style to find a temporary shelter for the night (His face had turned red the moment he had picked her up and had _stayed_ red until he had settled her down and she had drifted off). Their clothes had been drenched, making the run tough-going. However, Hope had persevered, seeing a sliver of hope in between the dark, ominous shadows of something called "temptation of giving up". His manadrive had only half it's energy left, after using two powerful _Curaga_ s' to stop Light's wound from getting worse. He needed to save it, for _extreme_ emergencies.

He had found a small cave, set in the crevices of a large cliff. He had told Light not to move violently, backing himself up by saying that the wound needed to heal properly. He then had tried to find something useful to treat the wound. To his surprise, he found some bandages in his storage packs hanging from his waist belt, although questioning himself under his breath on how the strips had entered his pocket. "Definitely wasn't me who put those in," he muttered.

Finished with the task of bandaging Light, he sat her against the wall, with him next to her. Her breathing rate had stabled considerably, although her fever still persisted. He was almost out of ideas when he remembered that he had heard a faint sound of rushing water on the way to the cave. He therefore decided to check it out.

He had whispered to Light an "I'll be back soon" and had ran as fast as he could out in the dark before she could argue, somehow remembering the path they had taken. It was quite a scary realisation to him. It turned out that they had past by a stream of water before settling in their current location, and he had torn two pieces of the clean part of his shirt's long sleeves. To his relief, the water was cool, and he wet the torn pieces of clothing. He ran back, folding the cloths neatly and when he had returned, he placed one on her forehead, the other on her neck. He had (casually) undid the belt around her waist, and had slowly and gently bandaged the deep wound before running out of the cave, and the action had done two of its jobs pretty well when he returned. Her body had cooled significantly, and the wound was now able to heal properly. The belt lay next to him as he let out a sigh. They were both tired, that he knew, and thus had let her rest for a while; when she had woken up, he gradually directed the conversation to the story-telling.

 _The stream gives us water, but we need to find some food soon ... not to mention those wild animals that could maul us, especially now since Light's hurt._

Snapping out of his thoughts at her unexpected reply, Hope tried to laugh. "Yeah, although it truly was Dajh who found me. The next thing I knew, everything involved a load of hugs, pat on the backs, and a whole conversation that had lasted way more than half an hour as we walked out of the carnival, with a bonus of one peck on the head by a chocobo chick." Light smirked. "We had so much to catch up on. And I finally convinced Sazh that he could stay at my house for the time-being, to stay close to each other. I also promised to search for a house for them that was nearby. Dajh _was_ happy with that arrangement and really couldn't stop jumping about." Hope smiled at the memory. "I also told Sazh of my plan to find the rest of our friends, and he agreed to help me with the radar and internet infomation as he had the same goal. Right now, he's probably at home, relaxing or playing with Dajh." He paused, faltering slightly. "Or maybe, panicking, because I'm not on the special radar. The first time I reunited with them had been months ago. I had warned Sazh that I may be gone for a while, and he noted it. But I ..." His unfinished words resounded in his head.

 _I wonder if we'll be able to reach home safe and sound like I told him we would._

Silence filled the cave.

"Hope?" Her quiet voice filled the empty void of silence.

"Huh?" Hope blinked. "Oh, sorry. Spaced out a little." He tried to change the subject quickly. "Anyway, I've gotta say, Chocolina really has grown. She fits Sazh's whole crown of a head!"

Light rolled her eyes, but the slight look of concern being directed at him was easily noticed. "You're probably exaggerating, aren't you?"

Hope pouted, and Light couldn't help but snicker. He looked exactly like he had when he had been fourteen. Without the chubby cheeks and rounded jawline, that is.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently after a moment, and Hope's face became serious. He looked away. "I'm just ... unconvinced, I guess. That we won't be able to make it home."

"You found every one of your friends, Hope, and you're giving up now?" Light scoffed. _Did I say he grew up?_

"I'm not _giving up_!" he lowered his abruptly raised voice, not daring to look at Light. He slumped against the wall. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It's just ... I'm trying really hard not to tell myself to give up. I _know_ , if I had given up, I wouldn't have brought us here. I wouldn't have bothered seeking for shelter. I would've just let you lay there soaking in the pouring rain. I would've let myself lay there too, and let that behemoth maul us to death." His eyes didn't give any emotion away, but the well-known emerald had turned to something darker—pine, maybe? "But I've come this far. I've found you. I can instantly imagine the disappointed looks on our friends' faces if I don't return home to all of them with the last missing jigzaw piece of the whole picture. The looks they'd shoot me if I let myself give up." He shuddered, pausing for breath. "I want to imagine seeing joyful expressions on all of their faces. So I'm not letting anything get in my way of returning home, _with_ you."

Light's gaze softened. To his and her surprise, her fingers gently and uncertainly found his. He blinked at their connected fingers. "Sorry," she murmured. "I shouldn't have said that. I ... know you're trying your best. Thanks, by the way."

"For what?" he asked, though he was sure of the answer.

"Everything."

Warmth swelled in Hope's heart and travelled to every part of his body, despite the soaked clothes he wore. "Y-your welcome," he stammered, his face turning crimson yet again. He quickly turned his face to the side, where Light wouldn't be able to notice his flushed face.

Light stole a glance outside. "Though it doesn't look like we'll be leaving anytime soon."

The warmth vanished, as did the flush in his cold cheeks. "Then I guess we'll have to stay here for the night. No danger here."

Light wasn't convinced. "Are you sure you've checked the cave?"

Hope nodded. "While you were sleeping, I took a walk around the interior parts of the cave. No strange creatures."

Light raised a brow. "You went despite the risk."

It wasn't really a question, but he nodded. "I had to check ..."

The young woman shrugged, then winced. "We should get some rest."

Hope nodded, looking out the cave where the thunderstorm still persisted.

"Goodnight."

She snorted. "Thanks to that raging storm outside, you wouldn't even be able to tell whether it's night or day."

A hint of a smile lingered on Hope's face. "I say it's night."

Light was going to shrug her shoulders again when she clearly thought better of it. "Then goodnight."

Hope shook his head, the smile now unrestrainable. Comfortable silence took up the space between them as they slowly fell into a fitful sleep. Unknown to them, their fingers were still lightly laced together.

 **Woo-hoo! Chapter 2 up-to-date! So is Conan's!**

 **Lil'butterflyever9**


	3. Travelling

**Chapter 3**

Fluttering eyelids revealed perfectly green eyes which slowly adjusted to the gentle and breathtaking ray of sunlight infiltrating even the crevices of the cave that he had once thought was not possible.

 _The undying wonders of nature ..._

Fully awake now, Hope noticed where he was.

 _Where ... am I?_

The sky was pure cyan. The grass was the same colour as his eyes. He then took a moment to look to his left.

 _Light? What's ..._

The peace and tranquility that had settled in his mind for no more than a minute abruptly vanished as yesterday's events came crashing back in pieces of fragmented memories. And then it all clicked.

 _Oh ... right. How could I have forgotten that ...?_

It was apparent that Light was still asleep. Not wanting to wake her up for no reason, he let himself relax. Time seemed come to a stand still as Hope lay against the rough surface of the rocky cave. With absolutely nothing to bother him, he closed his eyes and let his mind run through everything that he had encountered while on this quest to search for his friends. The first to be found had been Sazh and Dajh. They had been a pretty easy find as they had been interviewed and had been all over Internet broadcasting. And the fact that Dajh would never miss a carnival helped too. Serah—although she had been a pretty easy one to find, had had a few complications along the way. Fang and Vanille had been together, making things simpler, but had also had to fight their way back. Noel and Yeul, they had been the most difficult. They had been separated quite a distance from the others, and Hope had taken weeks. And that was just to find them. It took him another thirteen days to return home with them.

As his mind wandered back to Sazh, though, he remembered something.

 _Sazh gave me the tracker that had the biggest range, didn't he?_

 _"Can track you for miles," Sazh winked, wagging a finger in front of Hope. "Thirty, to be exact."_

 _If I remember correctly, according to him, it was thirty miles. I've definitely traveled farther than thirty, maybe forty or fifty. So all I need to do is get back within range. I met Light at Innova train station, and then we got caught by wild animals while walking along the way. That station is at least fifty-six miles away from Bodhum, and forty-four miles away from Palumpolum. We've travelled ... in which direction have we been travelling? South, but that was only if we were taking the old man that gave us directions seriously._

Hope sighed as he looked down at the small unique button stuck on his tie clip. He unconsciously reached up to finger it. _Sazh ... I really hope you'll be able to locate me soon. At least you'd know I'm safe._ He leaned his head back a little, and his eyes couldn't help but stray, and when they had he could think no more—his entire mind went blank. He blinked.

 _Holy Goddess Etro—Light and him were holding hands!_

Hope turned eight different shades of red. He didn't have the courage to release her hand, afraid that she would wake up. _Oh ... right. Last night, she—okay, wait. Focus, Hope Estheim, F-O-C-U-S. If we've been, um, travelling south, then um, we should be able to find either Palumpolum or Bodhum's outskirts. And, um ... do I have anything that can help me right now?_ He sat thinking for a while. Then he stumbled on a faint memory. _Hold on. Didn't Alyssa give me a map before I went to that carnival? I remember her clearly telling me to note that the map had both Bodhum and Palumpolum_ _outskirts included inside ... maybe I have it with me! Please ... Goddess ...!_

 _"Holding hands"_ was all but forgotten as Hope gently released Light's hand and started digging through his storage packs. _Please tell me it's here ... and how come I didn't think of it before? Maybe because of everything that had happened. Pretty understandable—this is the first time we're taking a break after all. We've been walking for at least nine hours._ He continued digging into the red packs.

Unknown to Hope, once perfectly closed eyelids had recently opened to reveal electrifying cobalt blue eyes that were now staring at him with partial worry and partial amusement. He suddenly felt a nudge to his leg.

"And you're acting like a frightened chocobo because ...?"

Hope didn't dare look at Light as he kept searching. He kept at it for a few seconds more when he cried triumphantly.

 _"I have it!"_

Hope almost tore the paper as he took it out from its place. He tried to ignore the look she was giving him for acting like a "frightened chocobo" as he opened it up.

"I am very grateful, Alyssa—for once, you've been a great help. When I return to the Academy, you're getting a two-week holiday," Hope snickered to himself, fingering the thin paper. Light raised a brow, but didn't ask.

"Morning," she stated plainly instead.

Hope finally locked eyes with her, and when he did, it was for a fraction of a second before he flushed crimson and looked away. "Uh, morning ..." he mumbled turning his attention back to the map. Light couldn't help but smirk. _Wonder what made him become like_ that.

Hope was now engrossed in the detailed piece of paper in front of him. "Okay, Innova Station ... Innova ... here it is!" Hope said, putting his right index finger on the red dot while his left thumb subconsciously went into his mouth. "Then we went this way—I remember the sign post—and that's where we met those beasts, and then we went down some more ... where's that stream ... a little further down should be the— _hey, we're over here_!"

Since Light couldn't make out the map, she tried to sit up in an effort to see properly, but Hope tore the paper away from her line of vision and scooted away from her, all the while sucking on his thumb.

 _"Hope!" Light_ shifted, but the healing gash across her stomach refused to let her move _too_ freely. She muttered something incoherent under her breath as she crossed her arms, somewhat reluctant to be gentle over the injury. The gash did not ignore this, and took action immediately—Light ended up wincing.

 _He's such a baby._

"Hey!" Hope's surprisingly delighted exclamation made her look up. "What?"

"We've actually _been_ travelling south! That old man had been right! And now that I'm looking at a map, I can see that while I've been searching for all of you, I've gone one whole circle around the whole area marked in blue!" Since Light's expression remained neutral, he cleared his throat and continued on. "Um, anyway, we're forty miles away from Palumpolum, and fifty-two miles away from Bodhum. It'll take us two to three weeks to get home, but at least we're reaching home!" He beamed.

Light rolled her eyes. "Two to three weeks is not exactly soon. We've still got a long way."

Hope frowned a little, a crease forming in between his brows. "Yes, and we have plenty of water, but we'll need food. And shelter, too. And you never know—animals might find us out here and attack us."

"Then we'll need to get moving. _Now."_ Light attempted to stand, but she regretted the decision almost instantly—her wound made her stagger and double over. The pain wasn't that great, but she still put a hand against the rocky wall of the cave, while the other made its way around her waist. Hope grabbed her shoulder.

"Maybe I should carry you?" he offered, grinning.

Light scowled upon seeing the teasing expression on his face and shook off his arm with more force than she had needed to use. "Shut up—I'm fine."

Hope was still grinning, eyeing her with a playful glint in his emerald irises. "Sure, Light, you're _perfectly_ fine, aren't you?"

She desperately wanted to wipe that irritating smirk off his face. _Maybe a slap would suffice ...?_ "Shut _up._ Anyway, how are you going to fight the beasts if you carry me around like some idiot?"

Hope exaggerated his "thinking moment" by putting a hand on his chin and pacing up and down the cave with large strides—although he could only take no more than five steps each time. She could see that he was trying very, _very_ hard not to burst out laughing. "Hmm ... I don't know, maybe put you down somewhere while I—"

She cut him off, forcing him to stop pacing. "Yes, and leave me unattended while another beast takes me away or something—I didn't know you were so smart, Estheim," she countered.

 _Etro—she used my last name ..._ He tried not to gulp. "Well, um ... can you walk?"

She snorted before commenting sarcastically, "Good question. Sure—I can walk _perfectly._ I can even run for more than a few minutes."

Hope just stared blankly, obviously befuddled. She sighed in defeat and exasperation. "Look—I can hardly _stand,_ Hope."

Hope was silent for a while, except for a small "Oh" and Light actually thought he was going to give up and fall back to the ground with a _"Let's wait until you've healed and then we'll move"_ when she almost let out a yelp—he had lifted her shirt and was now pressing a hand to her bandaged wound. Her eyes narrowed.

"Hope, what are you—?"

Her expression changed from confusion to one that of shock—her wound was no longer throbbing. It was like nothing had scarred her in the first place. Noting the change in mood, Hope released her and backed off a step.

"Hope, what did you do?" She lifted her shirt, but all she saw was the bandages.

He smiled, shrugging. "I just cast _Cure._ And besides, it was an emergency. We need to move, right? And keep those bandages on," he added when he saw Light trying to untie them.

Light stopped fidgeting with the white strips and looked up to stare at the manadrive—it had only one-third of it energy left. A somewhat unfazed "Save it" and a muttered "thanks" a few seconds after that was all she could think of saying.

"I know," Hope agreed. "And you're welcome," he smiled, "but let's get going. Now that I know where we are, we can tread with confidence." He beamed and walked to the entrance of the cave. "Coming, or should I leave you behind?"

Light scowled. "You better wait up or you'll have the others to answer to. Especially Serah." She walked to the entrance with surprisingly effortless strides.

After checking the premises, the two deemed it safe. And so, under the beautiful rays of sunlight, cerulean sky and puffy white clouds, the contrast between "today" and "yesterday" highly prominent, Lightning Farron and Hope Estheim started walking to a place called home.

 **Hi everyone! This is the revised version...hehe, it's one day early. Thanks to Ultimate Blazer for the opinion on this chapter! It made me focus on Light. Next chapter coming out soon, don't miss out!**

 **Lil'butterflyever9**


	4. Instant Flashback: Serah

**Hi everyone, on an unrelated note, I hope you've checked out the updated version of** _ **Chapter 3: Travelling!**_ **Thanks to** Ultimate Blazer's _ **PRs**_ _ **(Private Reviews)**_ **, I managed to update it properly, as I then knew where the weak part of the chapter was. Furthermore, I would like to thank** The Jingo **for his reviews and comments too, both private and public. Nevertheless, thank you all followers and readers, I really appreciate it! And now, may I present to you:** _**Chapter 4: Serah!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Flashback**

 _They were running. Running relentlessly._

 _The thick forest around them was not much help—the tall trees all looked identical, and there was no sign of an empty clearing just yet._

 _"What_ was _that thing?" Serah panted as her legs strained, darting trees and grasping Hope's hand tightly. She tried to keep her pace. Time was running out, and fast._

 _"It's trouble," Hope replied grimly. "We have to keep moving," he added as Serah started to slow down, holding her sides with one arm. He pulled Serah as gently as he could towards the river. "Go, go, go!" Serah almost tripped on her own two feet, but Hope had a firm hold on her hand. "Hurry up!" Serah reluctantly continued running._

 _The familiar bestial roar from behind them warned that the mechanical monstronomy was drawing close. Hope gritted his teeth. They needed to get out of here—the only way was to cross the river. Machines were vulnerable to water—it really was the only way._

 _Hope tried to keep his breathing and running stance in check. "Serah, we have_ _to swim across!"_

 _Serah was staring at the oncoming fast-flowing river in fear. "I ... I won't be able to swim in those currents!" Her face was frozen in shock and fright._

 _"You have to!" Hope cried. "Or would you rather die here?"_

 _The mood instantly changed—Serah snapped back to life, her eyes flashing. "No_ way _am I leaving Lightning and Snow and the rest!" With that, she released Hope's hand as she took a lungful of air and jumped purposefully into the water, swimmming breaststroke. Hope allowed a tired smile before taking a breath and diving in himself. They swam like never before—the river was deep, the currents and damp clothing threatened to separate them and take them down the cliff—it ended in a waterfall._

 _Unfortunately, it could end their lives as well._

 _With much required effort, Hope and Serah made it to the end. They struggled to regain balance on foot and started running yet again._

 _"We're almost there," Hope said, pointing to a clearing._

 _"Almost," Serah muttered. "There. Finally ..."_

 _As if in slow-motion, slowly but surely, their lives at stake, they made it into the clearing—one decent enough to be called a meadow. There they stopped, panting. Serah fell to the grassy plains, clutching her strained waist._

 _(Meanwhile, the deranged machine had finally made its way to the river, and when it had realised its victims had escaped by using its weakest point, it let one_ _final roar of outrage before it retreated into the depths of the forest.)_

 _"That ... was one ..._ insane _adventure," Hope stated breathlessly, hands on his_ _knees._

 _Serah just stared up at the sky. A few seconds of silence passed before she glanced at Hope and said exhaustedly, "Goddess, Hope, what_ are _you doing here anyway? One moment that monster spotted me in that part of the forest, and I was going to make a run for it, and the next moment, you were right next to me!"_

 _Hope laughed, though it sounded wheezy. "I guess I'll just go straight to the point—I've been looking for you for ages, Serah! I've reunited with Sazh and Dajh, and am planning to find the rest of our friends, so that we can be together again. I've been running around, looking for every one of you!"_

 _Serah stared, wide-eyed. "Really? But Hope, even though you've found me, it'll take_ forever _to find the others! And what if you get lost? You do know we're actually lost right now, right?"_

 _"Not if I keep on searching," Hope said, grinning faintly. "And about the "lost" part ... Sazh gave me a tracker." He pointed to his tie clip. "Right there. If I press the emergency button on it, Sazh will send help. As long as we're in range, that is ..." he trailed off._

 _"Press it," Serah insisted. "There's nothing wrong with trying. It's been so long, and I've got so much to say to everyone once you've found them! I_ need _to get back home. I've been wandering here for almost a month, feeding on wild fruits and_ _fresh stream water! I'm getting sick of it all!"_

 _Hope smiled faintly as he fingered the tracker. He sighed and pressed it._

 _What came next made Hope's smile really wide. "Emergency button triggered._ _Sazh Katzroy alerted. Remain calm—help is now on the way," the tracker beeped monotonously. Hope glanced at Serah, and she gave a tired smile._

 _"Home time, Serah," he murmured._

 _"And more travelling for you after this, I guess," she replied with a weak laugh._

 _Hope nodded. "I'll find all of them. Snow, Fang, Vanille, Noel, Yeul, and your sister. All of them. I promise."_

 _"Don't go dying on me while searching, Estheim," Serah giggled. Hope rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I know."_

 _"And you'd better have a plan," she added._

 _Hope snorted. "Clearly you don't believe Snow's sentiment of "Heroes don't need plans!", do you?"_

 _Serah laughed, the sound coming out fuller this time. "But_ heroes _do need_ brains _once in a while, you know?" Hope laughed along with her._

 _Suddenly, the sunlight shining on them was blocked out. A dark shadow loomed over them. They both looked up, fearful of what to expect._

 _The machine ...?_

 _To their utter surprise, a big airship was hovering over them._

 _One that was Sazh Katzroy's._

* * *

 _The side door opened and Sazh poked his head out. "Yo, down there!" he called cheerfully. "Someone called?" Chocolina flew out, reaching Hope in an instant and pecking him on the head. Hope chuckled. "Thanks Sazh!" he called back up. Sazh saluted. "No problem, li'l man! Happy to help!"_

 _The airship landed beautifully onto the plains. "Serah! Long time no see," Sazh grinned._

 _At the same moment, Dajh entered the room via another door. "Sorry Dad, was in the wa—" His eyes bulged at the people in front of the entrance. Serah!" He ran to give the girl a hug, then turned to Hope. "You found her!"_

 _Hope smiled. "Yeah, hi-five!" The sound echoed as the two shared a laugh._

 _Serah smiled, then addressed Sazh. "Thanks for coming, Sazh."_

 _"Like I said, no problem. Now hop in and let this baby bring us home." Sazh patted the metal of the airship. Hope and Serah shared a knowing look, then climbed aboard._

 _"Well, son, you took your time searchin'," Sazh said as they took their respective seats. The airship's door closed tight._

 _Hope snorted as they took off and Sazh began piloting expertedly through the air. "Tell me about it—a week in the forest and grassy plains, plus monsters lurking everywhere. And I'm actually taking leave for this."_

 _Serah gasped. "You're taking time off_ work _just to search for all of our friends?"_

 _Hope nodded sheepishly. "I needed a break from paper work, anyway ..."_

 _Sazh chuckled. "Not a break, yet better than paper work ... what kids are up to these days ..."_

 _"Are we headin' back home?" Dajh asked. "I'm kinda tired."_

 _"Yeah, Dajh, headin' back home," Sazh replied. "Get some shut-eye for now—we'll reach there faster than you can dream of a speed train!"_

 _"Wait ... where's home again?" Serah put in uncertainly._

 _"Palumpolum," Hope answered. "We live there. Unless you want to go to New Bodhum to stay for now? But we'll be pretty far from each other."_

 _Serah shook her head. "It's okay. Once everything has settled, all our friends with us, then we'll think about moving to Bodhum and the likes. Let's just go home first. Boy am I dying for some real homemade cooked food!" Everyone laughed._

 _And just like that, the sunset clearly visible from Serah's window, the quartet made their way back to Palumpolum._

 _To_ home.

 **End Flashback**

* * *

"That was really what happened?" Light asked, curiosity piquing.

"Yeah ... why? Do you doubt me?" Hope teased.

She scoffed, all curiosity vanishing from her tone. "You wish. I doubt you could've come up with such a story. But Serah actually landed in a _forest_?"

Hope snickered. "Yeah, I get the feeling. I found some info online the internet, recording her "last seen" places and stuff. How I ended up with that forest, ask my subconsciousness. I have no idea what I did to come up with _that_ conclusion for the location."

Light rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I won't bother. Where are we now, anyway? You used up quite some time reminiscing."

Hope scrutinised the map, only half-noticing the looming shadow that had suddenly blocked the light from reaching them. "We're around ... Rimton Woods. All we have to do is stick to this path and—" He was cut off.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Lady _Good_ Luck had gotten tired of Light and Hope and was now busy spreading all her love for everyone else on the planet while Lady _Bad_ Luck took her place. The looming shadow was definitely not Sazh's airship, like the previous time.

It was worse.

"Hope, look _out_!" Light shouted suddenly, pushing him sideways. Hope stumbled, landing on his back. She unsheathed her gunblade, preparing to strike.

"Get _up_!" Light screamed at him.

Hope looked up. What he saw shook him to the core.

 _For Etro's sake ..._

It was a Behemoth.

"Hope! Keep that map and unsheath that gunblade of yours right _now_!" Hope did as he was told, stuffing the map into his storage packs and gripping the hilt of his blade. A small grin made its way across his face as he stared up at the gigantic beast.

"Just like the old times," he murmured. He looked defiantly at the creature in the eye.

 _"Behemoth, here we come."_

* * *

 **Hi guys! I did it! I'm extra tired now, but I uploaded it earlier just for you! But now since I have extra time, I'll be working on the other fanfic for tomorrow. Will see if I have enough time for both fanfics tomorrow. Enjoy!**

 **LBE9**


	5. Setting Up Camp

**Chapter** **5**

"That was one _big_ fight ..." Hope sheathed his gunblade like he was a natural. Not that he had ever used it before—his still had an attachment to his trusty boomerang, Nue.

Light snorted, sheathing her own. "What did you expect, mercy?"

Hope sighed. "Forget I said anything."

The sky was now a peaceful cerulean blue, first stars twinkling. The moon was full and white. For a moment, everything seemed strangely calm, like nothing had happened a few minutes before. Even Light was quietly staring at the peaceful scenery.

Then she shrugged nonchantly. "Well ... at least we've got dinner."

Hope blinked, then nodded in agreement. "First catch of the day. But we'll need a campfire. It's getting dark, and we _should_ roast it, shouldn't we?" He went around the area in Light's line of vision, gathering surprisingly smooth stones and fallen twigs and piled it up. He then pointed shamelessly at the little pile.

" _Fira._ "

The flames burst to life, spluttering and crackling. Light looked at him in astonishment and confusion.

"You're ... not still l'cie, are you?" she asked tentatively.

Hope stared at her, dumbfounded. "What—why would you think that I'm still a l'cie?"

"You can't use magic if you're not l'cie, right?"

Hope stared for a second more before realisation dawned on his face. "Oh— _oh!_ You mean this." He gestured to the fire. "I made myself a Magic Enhancer—it gives me the power to summon magic when I need to. I combined a manadrive with ... some things." He rubbed his neck sheepishly while showing off a silver band with golden swirls on his right wrist. "I _was e_ xperimenting, after all."

Light raised a brow, managing to hide a smile. "Looks like _someone_ can fend for himself already," she said casually.

His ears turned red. "W-well, k-kind of ...," he stuttered. He really did hope his crimson face was covered by the glow of the fire. To his relief, Light just smirked and started cutting up pieces of the behemoth. He gathered more sticks and waited for Light to cut everything before putting them on the "skewers" and started roasting them.

Silence engulfed the air around them as they waited for their food to cook. Each were in their own thoughts.

 _We're making progress_ , Hope thought, _but we'd have to speed up. The power enhancer won't last forever. And we need to get home before anything worse happens. Fang swore that she'd take care of the rest—we're still in danger, after all—and Vanille promised me that she'd keep on a lookout for me on the radar. I really hope that you guys are okay ..._. Hope sighed inwardly, staring blankly at the sky. His leg was up, an arm on his knee. He closed his eyes, letting the cool breeze calm him.

 _Everything will be okay_ ...

Light herself was pondering.

 _Will we be able to get home safe and sound? Wait—Lightning Farron, why are you asking such a stupid question? Obviously we're going to return home safe and sound._ She glanced at Hope _. It's him I'm worried about. He's been spacing out even more now. I wonder what's bothering him. Is it the others at home? Or me? Or ... everything?_

"Light? _Light!"_ Hope waved a hand in front of her face. Light blinked. "W-what?"

He pointed to her skewer. "Your food's burning."

She immediately glanced at it—sure enough, it was on fire.

 _Great. Just great._

She quickly blew on it repeatedly, until all the small flames were extinguished. She looked up, only to find Hope staring at her in concern. Before he could even ask, she muttered, "Was thinking. Don't bother."

The last thing Hope wanted was Light mauling him for laughing at her, so he held it in.

 _Don't. Laugh. Please._

"Didn't know you were the kind to think to such an extent that you didn't realise that your food was burning," Hope snickered. Light shot him her best death glare and he faltered. "You okay?"

She nodded slowly, trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Hope.

 _Well, at least it broke the thick silence that had started to get sickening. I should probably keep it away. "S_ o," she raised a brow, "you found Sazh, Dajh, and Serah, so who did you find next?"

"The Hero," Hope replied, grinning, pumping his fist in the air, mimicking a hero stance.

Light laughed slightly. "Snow, huh. Why didn't you leave him last?"

"Um ... because he was stuck somewhere, and yet he was shouting "I'm a hero, I'm a hero, and heroes DON'T NEED PLANS!"?" Hope tried to sound exactly like Snow, with his playful low tone, but failed dramatically—his voice became too hoarse, cracking his voice. He ended up coughing violently.

The laugh that came from Light broke her laughing record. "That _oaf_ really was doing that?"

Hope rubbed his chest, though he was trying not to smile. "Well, he _did_ get stuck somewhere, and just when he did, I found him—lucky, you'd say, but oh, goddess no—in exchange for getting him out, he had to _sing_ those lines."

The last words resulted in another round of laughing—this time Hope joining in. "I can actually remember what lines I made him sing," Hope continued in between laughs. "I'm a hero, I'm a hero, and HEROES DON'T NEED PLANS! I'm a hero, I'm a hero, but I DON'T HAVE BRAINS! I'm a hero, I'm a hero, and I CAN'T REMEMBER MY NAME BUT I KNOW I'M A HERO! I'm a hero, I'm—" Hope had to stop there as he and Light were laughing too hard. He lay on his back and draped his arm over his mouth and laughed up at the darkening sky. They had been walking the whole day. Light managed to minimise her laughter to a chuckle. "Enough, that song really is irritating. It just _might_ drive other people insane."

Hope didn't even bother hiding his smile. "That's what happened to Snow!" He started laughing again at the memory of the man's priceless expression before and while singing the song. "I think that song will be engraved in his mind forever." He started laughing again. Light rolled her eyes, but a hint of a smile still lingered on her face. "Are you going to tell me about how you found him?"

Hope gazed at her playfully. "Why not we leave the "HERO'S STORY" for tomorrow's journey?" This time, he stood up and did an even more childish "hero stance".

Light grinned, shaking her head. "Okay. Whatever you say."

They finished up the remains of their meal and Hope unclasped his weapon holster. Hope cuddled Nue, and his gunblade out of its casing was just reachable. Light had insisted she keep watch for the night, and Hope had agreed on one condition: That she'd wake him up for the second half of the night. She reluctantly agreed.

"I'm tired," Hope remarked, sprawled out on the grass.

Light snorted. "Who wouldn't be, after all that's happened?"

Hope shrugged. "I thought you'd be able to last. You _are_ First Sergeant Lightning Farron, after all."

"Being in the military doesn't mean you'd last forever, Hope," she said in irritation. _Does he know what he's saying?_

"I know. Just ... never mind," he mumbled, curling to the side. "Goodnight."

Light made a sound of reply to let him know she heard, but she then knew she wouldn't be able to have a wink of sleep. _Might as well watch for the whole night_. She glanced at Hope. _I promised to protect you too, you know. I'm going to let you rest. You are more important—if you_ _don't get your sleep, we'll never get home_. She sighed. _This is the least I can do for you._

And so, even when dawn was approaching, and although she was exhausted, Lightning still kept watch and did not wake Hope up.

 **Hi everyone, Chapter 5 is up! Please do R & R! Thank you!**

 **LBE9**


	6. Pre-Instant Flashback: Snow

Sorry it's late, everyone! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

" _Why did you not wake me up?"_ Hope had discovered that Light had not woken him up for the second half of the watch and was more than annoyed. It meant that Light hadn't gotten a _wink_ of sleep. He was fearing for more than her safety—he was fearing for her health now too.

" _Will_ you _drop_ it?" Light sighed in exasperation as they walked through the plains. "That's the _thirteenth_ time you've asked that, and I've already answered you."

"That reason is unvalid," he countered indignantly. "Just because you felt I was sleeping soundly doesn't mean that you don't need sleep either, you know. What if we come across more beasts? What if I need your help? You said it yourself— _you_ _can't_ _last_ _forever._ How are you going to concentrate later? And what about—"

Light stopped abruptly, turning sharply and making Hope stop in his tracks too. She glared at him. "Hope," she growled, desperately trying to keep her temper in place. "I said, _drop_ _it._ "

He gave an equally chilling stare. "I will not."

" _Now."_

"You _need_ proper rest. Do you even care about yourself? Oh, that's a stupid question," he snorted, "obviously you don't. You care way too much about _me_." Light felt her jaw slacken slightly. Hope continued ranting. "You _do_ realise that I spent a little more than ten months searching for all our friends, right? You do realise that I have the skill-set, that I am fit for survival? You do acknowledge that I have had the experience, that during these past months I've fought harder than _you_ have?" His voice had rose in volume each time he said a sentence. Light just stared emotionlessly, jaw relocked.

Unable to elicit a response from her, he frowned, jaw clenched and hands curling into fists as he stomped past her. "You think about what I said before you even start following," he yelled over his shoulder.

Light crossed her arms, a deep scowl settling across her features.

 _Crap. Why did today just have to be like this?_

 _But he is right, you know,_ her inner voice whispered, _you_ need _to sleep. He's just looking out for you. You should be grateful._

 _But I'm used to keeping awake for extensive periods of time,_ she argued.

 _Are you trying to argue again?_ the voice questioned. _For once in your life, will you let it go?_

 _I …._ She stood there for a second more before taking a tentative step forward. _Oh Etro—whatever._ She slowly followed Hope's footsteps in the muddy ground. It took a while before she caught sight of him.

"Hope?" she asked somewhat quietly. He showed no sign of stopping. "Hope," she tried again. He didn't reply. " _Hope._ " She grabbed his arm. He tried—but failed—to twist his arm out of her grasp. "Let go," he muttered. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Hope," Light raised her voice in order to be able to talk right over him. He was silent. "I get where you're coming from," she said in a quieter voice. "I'm sorry. I know I should pay more attention to myself. It's just that I …." she couldn't finish. _I'm more anxious about you—we need_ you _to get us home._

"You're more worried about me?" he ended the sentence nicely. She nodded once. _How does he read my mind like that?_

His arm in her hold relaxed. "I can take care of myself, Light," he said gently. "You have to watch yourself more often. And tonight, you'd better let me take the second half."

"Okay," she murmured. She was silent for another minute.

"Hey." She looked up to find Hope's concerned expression. "You okay?"

She shrugged slightly, releasing his arm. "I'm fine."

Hope raised a brow. "You sure about that? Because the _last_ time you said that you were technically a damsel in—" Light shoved him not-so-gently. He burst out laughing. "You didn't let me finish!" he cried in between peals of laughter. Light just rolled her eyes, stalking ahead. "Catch up when you stop being an idiot."

Hope managed to minimise his laughter to a small chuckle. "Damsel in _distress_ ," he finished, chuckling still as he started after Light who was now at least a mile away.

"Hey," he called when he had caught up. "Let's have a story-telling session again tonight. This time I'll tell you about Snow and how that hero ended up singing that awesome song!" He grinned childishly.

Light snorted. "You mean that _awful_ song," she muttered, walking even faster.

He shrugged with a small smile as Light overtook him. "Served him right for acting like a hero all the time."

 **Hi, whew! Sorry it took so long. Was busy. Anyways ...** **done! Chapter 5 is out!**

 **LBE9**


	7. Author's Note December 2019

Hello everyone, it's been so long since I've updated my fanfics! I've been super busy with schooling and the likes, and I was just way too tired to give my brain a push and write. Apologising sincerely for those who have been waiting for so long! My next chapter will be up in two weeks or so, because I will be editing my other fanfic first. Thank you all for the support since 2018!

littlebutterflyever9


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